BY DAVID DARI, KEFFI
For Nigeria to curb the incidence of social vices or restiveness among the youths that has become prevalent and taken an alarming proportion, a dynamic empowerment programmes that would boost their productive and creative capacities should be initiated and executed by the various government and non-governmental organizations as an antidote.
An Associate Professor with the Department of Sociology, Nigeria Policy Academy, Wudil, Kano State, Umar Shehu Usman made this assertion while delivering a paper titled “Curbing the social vices among the youths in Keffi” in a one-day symposium organized by the coalition of Keffi youths and students at the Assembly Hall of the Nasarawa State University Keffi, recently.
The university don further suggested that there should be a comprehensive empowerment of traditional policing mechanism, encouraging the youths with traditional awards based on their merits or contributions as well as the implementation of social investment programmes while private businesses should also be made to engage in corporate social responsibility projects especially those to do with job and wealth creation.
Dr. Usman maintained that for the youths to become responsible future leaders, the present leaders must endeavour to always lead by example in their public and private conducts, saying that such attribute would encourage them even engage in community development projects and programmes as well as become creative and self-dependent.
Speaking about the proximity of the area to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Dr. Usman suggested that the Federal Capital Development Authority should be prevailed upon to invest in facilities that would directly cushion the effects of the socio-economic pressures it brought to Keffi adding that concerted efforts should be made to key into the agricultural programmes of the Buhari-led administration through the establishment of the youth empowerment programmes, viable agriculture, business education centres among others.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion who is also the Dan Iyan Keffi, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Isyaku cautioned the youths to avoid submitting themselves as willing tools for destruction and other violent crimes saying that they should engage in meaningful ventures and respect the dignity of labour.
He reminded that with their full energies time and space, their chances of excelling in whatever lawful profession they have taken or chosen is very bright as such they should always trade the path of honour and use their creativities to become self-reliant and responsible members of the society.
In his fatherly remarks, the Emir of Keffi Alhaji Dr. Shehu Chindo Yamusa III thanked the youths Coalition for their initiative and assured them of his support to enable them succeed especially that their efforts is towards social engineering and moral re-armament.
Represented by the Pakacin Keffi Alhaji Shamsuddeen Abubakar, the Emir tasked them not to relent in their efforts towards re-building good moral values into the society and tasked all the well-meaning people in the area to support them accordingly.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Chairman of the local organizing committee of the symposium contributed to the reality of today’s event. Comrade Suleiman Buhari observed that since Keffi Youths need impacting support, many among them need counseling to change their lives for better, therefore it is their collective responsibility to join hands and work it out.
He stated that the symposium would interact meaningfully about Keffi Youths and Keffi development and the discussion would not be on personal issues but on how to resolve in rebuilding good conduct of the youths and see the way forward.
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